 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
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The Prophet of Yonwood (Ember, Book 3)
- By Jeanne DuPrau
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Don't look for much Ember here. But OK for tweens.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there's little to be concerned about here, but lots to think and talk about.
What's the story?
The world is staggering toward war once again. The President has issued an ultimatum to the Phalanx Nations, there are bombings and other terrorist acts, and people live in fear as they prepare for the worst.
Nickie is sick of it all, so she gladly jumps at the opportunity to travel to Yonwood, North Carolina, with her aunt to ready their ancestral home for sale. Nickie, however, has other plans -- she hopes to convince her family to keep the home and move there, away from the city and the war.
But the war has come to Yonwood too, as an old woman has visions of destruction, and her friend, Mrs. Beeson, interprets these visions as commands from God to insulate the town with goodness. Nickie wants to change the world, and helping Mrs. Beeson root out wrongness in the town seems the way to do it.
Is it any good?
Fans of the Ember series may be in for a disappointment. Despite saying "The Third Book of Ember" on the cover, this book has absolutely nothing to do with Ember until the very last, tacked-on chapter connects some of the characters with Ember some 50 years after the conclusion of the story.
Ignoring Ember, though, and taking the book on its own terms, this is a fascinating allegory with much to say to 21st-century children growing up in a world filled with terrorism and religious fanaticism. As in the previous book in this series, The People of Sparks, the ways in which fear can lead essentially well-meaning people down the road to totalitarianism, intolerance, and acquiescence to evil are made clear. Less believable are the events in the larger world, especially the mystifying hints around what causes the country to pull back from the brink.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about war and its relationship to religion. How can misunderstanding and differences in belief lead to fighting? Could someone like Mrs. Beeson really gain power this way?
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AGE
A dull, disappointing conclusion(?) to the Ember books
Many fans of this series of books probably cried after finishing this book. No, it is not because of an emotional ending or something like that, but it would have been for this sad excuse for a good book. The book, hmm..., how can i put this nicely?, stunk. I can't even begin to tell you how lame the opening was. This book has absolutely no connection to the other two.
P.S.
The second book, The People of Sparks, if the best book of the series by far.
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AGE
Okay book in general but kind of boring good for ages 8+
Uhh Ihad to do it for a school assignment. I thought that it was OK it would be a 7/10 for me.
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AGE
Great way to explain what happens before book one!
this may not have much to do with the other books but it does help explain how the city of ember was started. I wish this were the first book
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AGE
i had to do this book for my book report and this is what is thought about
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AGE
(Very) Slow pace
Was okay as a teen, younger children who enjoyed the first two books will definitely find it boring as the pace is excruciatingly slow at times, and has absolutely nothing to do with the overall story. I would suggest reading the next book in the series immediately after reading the Prophet of Yonwood or else the next book will not make much sense and will be left with a feeling that reading Prophet was a waste of time.
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April 9, 2008
AGE
You have to read this after reading the other two in the series.
Jeanne DuPrau weaves an intricate story of the events leaading up to the City of Ember. She drops clues along the way, and then neatly tidies them up at the end. You might get anxious to come to the ending, but just enjoy the events as they unfold! Her main character Nickie is endearing, and you will feel her struggles as she tries to make sense of the troubling times plaguing the people of Yonwood, and the country as well. Mysteries abound, what secret government project is her father working on?, what's up with Mr. Hoyt and the strange lights coming from his house?, is God really speaking through Althea Towers?, and is Mrs. Beeson able to iinterpret these strange utterances? If you enjoyed the first two, this one won't disappoint you! If you go to the author's website she hints that there is a 4th book afoot!
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AGE
Huh? What did this have to do with the series?!?!?!
ARG!!!! I was incredibly annoyed by the fact that this book has absolutely nothing to do with the first two books. NOTHING! If the author wanted to write some sort of pre-apocalyptic novel, she should have done so after she wrapped up everything about the people from Ember. The entire time I was reading, I kept waiting for something to be about Ember. It was also poorly written compared to the first two, and was a rotten way to end a promising trilogy.
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| Author: | Jeanne DuPrau |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Contemporary Fiction |
| Publisher: | Random House |
| Publication date: | May 29, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 289 |
| Hardcover price: | $15.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 10 |
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